Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Split and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Split and in Nosara: $1,819 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

90

Cost of Living Index in Split
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Split Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Split

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,819

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Split and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Split and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,819 per month in Split vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Split $1,819
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,815 per month in Split vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Split $2,815
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,810 per month in Split vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Split $3,810
Nosara $3,712

Split is about 1% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Split and Nosara sit above the global median – Split by 36%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.10

$12.22 ₡5,509

38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 €66.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

23.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.17

$7.54 ₡3,399

51.19%

Cappuccino

$2.86 €2.55

$4.31 ₡1,941

-33.64%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 €3.67

$1.72 ₡773

138.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.35 ₡608

118.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 €4.24

$3.24 ₡1,459

46.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 €4.38

$4.48 ₡2,018

9.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.57 ₡707

-15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.93

$3.17 ₡1,429

-31.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.29

$2.42 ₡1,091

52.48%

Eggs

$4.21 €3.75

$3.57 ₡1,609

17.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 €12.36

$7.43 ₡3,349

86.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 €8.52

$10.42 ₡4,697

-8.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 €11.78

$13.66 ₡6,156

-3.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.32 ₡1,044

-5.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.61 ₡728

13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$4.74 ₡2,138

-59.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.66 ₡747

68.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$3.57 ₡1,611

-66.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.10 ₡497

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$2.55 ₡1,149

-52.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 €5.02

$4.95 ₡2,232

13.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 €7.97

$20.01 ₡9,020

-55.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.79 ₡1,256

-38.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.53 ₡1,589

-36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.19 ₡537

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.64 €35.38

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-45.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.36

$2.24 ₡1,011

67.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.55 ₡701

38.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.30 €26.15

$8.86 ₡3,993

230.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.57 ₡708

20.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.3K €25.3K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

29.85%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.5K €21.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-29.20%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$207 €185

$93.5 ₡42.1K

121.34%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.38 €18.19

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-41.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.24 €37.69

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-17.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 €54.3

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-14.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.12 €11.70

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-62.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 €8.23

$7.84 ₡3,535

17.60%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$622 €555

$490 ₡220.7K

27.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-2.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.6 €83.5

$53.5 ₡24.1K

74.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.70 €36.32

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-27.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$79.3 ₡35.7K

44.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 €88.1

$78.9 ₡35.6K

25.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 €900

$786 ₡354.3K

28.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 €649

$780 ₡351.6K

-6.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 €1,715

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 €1,168

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-7.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,330 €6,541

$6,972 ₡3.1M

5.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,057 €4,512

$1,201 ₡541.3K

321.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,601 €1,429

$876 ₡395.0K

82.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

8.62

-60.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Split: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Split

$727 39.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 7.2% $53

Groceries & Markets

Split

$297 16%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 17.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Split

$269 14.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 33.2% $89

Eating Out

Split

$266 14.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 21.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Split

$156 8.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 23.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Split

$79 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 9.8% $7.8

Getting Around

Split

$61 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 42.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Split versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 83% higher in Split, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Split versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Split vs $350 in Nosara – so Split wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Split

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

19:32 7:32 PM

8 h behind Split

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,830

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Split Nosara 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Split
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Split vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,819 in Split, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,729 per month in Split and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Split, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 82% less in Split. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $622 per month in Split and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Split, where all-in costs run around $1,819, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Split it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Split has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,819 in Split to $1,837 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Split. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.